NWSL power rankings put Washington Spirit back on top after Denver win
ESPN moved Washington Spirit to No. 1 after Matchday 14, with Gotham FC slipping to second following a 2-2 draw at Portland.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Washington Spirit are back at No. 1 in ESPN's latest NWSL power rankings after a 1-0 win over Denver Summit FC on Matchday 14, while NJ/NY Gotham FC dropped one place after a 2-2 road draw with Portland.
ESPN said its writers ranked all 16 NWSL teams after the weekend's regular-season matches. The Spirit also returned to the top of the standings, according to ESPN, powered by a fifth win in six games.
Who is No. 1 in the NWSL power rankings?
Washington Spirit hold the top spot in ESPN's ranking. Their win over Denver came from a second-half move that began with Leicy Santos winning possession deep, continued through Trinity Rodman, and ended with Sofia Cantore scoring the decisive goal.
Gotham slipped to No. 2 despite taking a point from what ESPN called the weekend's standout game. Midge Purce scored in the second minute, and Sam Kerr later equalized in the 62nd with her first goal since returning to the league, according to ESPN.
Gotham still had 63% possession and led Portland in expected goals on target, opposition-box touches, tackles and duels won, ESPN reported. The draw was enough for Washington to jump past them.
How the top five changed
Utah Royals rose to third after a 4-1 win over North Carolina Courage, their ninth victory of the season. ESPN noted that all four Utah goals came from set pieces: three after corner-kick situations and one from a stoppage-time penalty.
San Diego Wave fell to fourth after a 2-0 home loss to Seattle Reign. ESPN reported that San Diego piled up 22 shots, 41 touches in the opposition box and 2.64 expected goals, but Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey made a career-high eight saves.
Portland Thorns moved up to fifth after the Gotham draw. Renee Lyles scored her first professional goal, Jessie Fleming put Portland ahead with a deflected strike, and Morgan Weaver returned to the field, according to ESPN. Portland also played nearly 20 minutes down a player after Jayden Perry's red card.
Which teams made the biggest moves?
- Kansas City Current dropped to sixth after a 1-0 loss at Boston Legacy FC. ESPN reported Michelle Cooper, Temwa Chawinga and Lorena were unavailable.
- Angel City FC fell to seventh after losing 2-1 at home to last-place Racing Louisville despite 30 shots and 2.16 expected goals, according to ESPN.
- Boston Legacy FC climbed to ninth after beating Kansas City 1-0, with Aïssata Traoré scoring off a deflection from Bianca St. Georges.
- Seattle Reign jumped to 10th after the 2-0 win at San Diego, with Maddie Mercado and Jordyn Bugg scoring in the 17th and 20th minutes.
At the bottom, Houston Dash stayed 14th after a 1-0 stoppage-time win over Bay FC, Racing Louisville moved up to 15th after rookie Maja Lardner scored twice at Angel City, and Chicago Stars FC fell to 16th after a third straight shutout loss.
Chicago goalkeeper Katie Atkinson made 10 saves and stopped a Marta penalty in the 1-0 loss to Orlando Pride, ESPN reported. The Stars have failed to score in all 12 of their losses and have only one road goal this season, according to ESPN.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.